Shivani Mathur Bhagat brings her passion for energy economics to ACEP

April 19, 2024
By Yuri Bult-Ito

Shivani Mathur Bhagat joined ACEP as a research assistant professor a few months ago. Her research focuses on energy economics and policy issues regarding energy transitions in Alaska. She is working on understanding the economic impacts of new and existing technologies on energy systems and communities in Alaska.

Since her undergraduate days, Bhagat has been exploring various facets of energy. She studied electrical engineering for her bachelor’s degree at Pune University in India, public policy for her master’s degree at Oregon State University and energy economics for her Ph.D. at the Colorado School of Mines, a research university with a strong focus on energy and the environment.

Alongside her academic studies, Bhagat worked with a nonprofit on renewable energy project implementation in villages of central India, and worked on state, local and utility energy policy issues at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

The cumulation of these studies and experiences led Bhagat to delve into researching questions at the crossroads of energy markets and labor economics for her doctoral thesis.

Bhagat also served as a Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Innovator Fellow (now called a Clean Energy Innovator Fellow) with the Colorado Public Utility Commission, where her research focused on energy equity, distribution system planning and resource planning for the state of Colorado.

While pursuing her doctoral studies, Bhagat spent a summer with ACEP researching beneficial electrification economic and rate structure issues for a utility in Southeast Alaska. She enjoyed this work and the interaction with the diverse researchers at ACEP, which eventually led her to joining the organization.

“The strong sense of community I have felt while living here has motivated me to play an active role in the ongoing energy transition of Alaska,” Bhagat said.

“ACEP is a great place for me to exercise my interest in economics and policy, and energy transition and justice issues while working with communities of Alaska,” she added.

In addition to her research at ACEP, Bhagat teaches principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics at the University of Alaska Southeast as an adjunct instructor.

Bhagat lives in Ketchikan, Alaska. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and taking long walks with her family. She also finds pleasure in cooking, running and reading. Every Friday, Bhagat and her husband host a radio show, featuring Indian music on local public radio station KRBD.